John the Baptist had testified of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must
decrease.” (John 3:30) It is in harmony with this that we read that Jesus (at
the hands of His disciples) baptized more than did John and his co-laborers.
(John 4:1) The growing popularity of Jesus aroused to bitter opposition with
the Scribes and Pharisees, and they sought to kill Him. Hence, we read, “He
would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” (John 7:1) They
had greater animosity toward Jesus than toward John, for in Him they recognized
superiority over themselves, and because the ignorant, common people heard Him
gladly and said, “Never man spake like this man.” Thereafter we hear little of
Jesus being in Jerusalem
except on festival occa­sions, when great multitudes gathered in accordance
with the requirements of the Law.

En route to Galilee, the home country of the majority of His apostles,
the journey took them through the country of the Samaritans, concerning whom we
remember that our Lord charged the disciples, saying, “Go not into the way of
the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 10:5,6) The Samaritans are
thus classed with Gentiles ─ aliens, strangers, and foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel. We recall their history ─ that
at the time when the king of Babylon took the
Israelites captive into Babylonia, he planted some Gentiles in the land of Israel ─ immigrants. Cut off from their
former idolatries, these people became interested in their new home country,
its theology, traditions, religious sentiments, etc. Furthermore, some of the
careless, ignorant and vicious amongst the Jews, disregarding their Divine law
on the subject, intermarried with the Samaritans. Thus an element of Jewish
blood was intermingled amongst them. They called themselves the children of
Jacob, and trusted that this meant some special blessing for them.

A sharp
religious controversy was thus established between them and Jacob’s natural
progeny, the Jews. They followed the Law given by Moses, and recognized Jerusalem and the Temple
as the center of all acceptable worship of God. The Samaritans, being thus
excluded, claimed that they had something better ─ that right in their own
country they had the very mountain in which Jacob wor­shiped God, and towards
this mountain they went or looked in their worship of God, esteeming it as a
great natural temple and superior to anything else on earth. These facts
account to us for some of the Lord’s expressions connected with this lesson,
and show us why His message excluded the Samaritans, as well as all Gentiles,
from the call which He was giving, the Kingdom invitation, which was
exclusively for the Jews. It was not until the Jews had as a people neglected
their opportunity that the special privileges of the Kingdom were taken from
them and subsequently tendered to such as would have an ear to hear in every
nation, people, kindred and tongue of the earth ─ including the Samaritans.

"GIVE ME TO DRINK"

The road leading to Galilee branched off at Jacob’s well, and the
disciples went to the nearby Samaritan village, Sychar, to purchase food, while
Jesus rested at the well, which was 75 feet deep and whose mouth was so walled
up as to form a circular seat at its top. A Samaritan woman, laboring in the
fields nearby, came to draw water, and was intensely surprised when Jesus asked
her the favor of a drink. So tightly were the lines of social etiquette drawn
that under ordinary circum-stances no self-respecting Jew would ask a Samaritan
for any favor, and especially for a drink of water. A gift of water or of food
extended or received at that time, signified fellowship, a covenant of good
will. The woman asked an explanation of the Lord’s peculiar conduct, but He
gave none. We perceive in the entire Gospel narrative of the humility of our
Lord, that he was quite ready and willing to mingle with any class, that He
shunned no opportunity for doing good to any class, publicans or sinners ─ and
that He reproved and rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for their aloofness. One
of His parables was especially directed towards the self-righteous sentiment,
which feared even to touch garments with the outwardly more degraded. Our Lord,
without approving of the outward degradation, showed that God looketh upon the
heart, and that some of those highly approved amongst men were more abominable
in His sight than some despised of men.

TACTFULNESS EXEMPLIFIED

Our Lord displayed great tactfulness. Instead of replying to the woman’s
query, He attracted her attention to a deeper truth. This lesson of tactfulness
many of the Lord’s people need to learn. We know some who mistakenly believe
that they must use no tact, to do so
would be dishonest. Hence, they are frequently blunt to the extent of injuring
the feelings of others, and hindering their own usefulness. Such should note in
this lesson, and in many others, our Lord’s tactfulness. He did not feel that
it was necessary for Him to answer the woman’s question. On the contrary, He
said, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee,
Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee
living water.” (John 4:10) Similarly, let us in all the affairs of life try to
turn the attention of those with whom we have contact towards the heavenly, the
spiritual things ─ not that we should obtrude religious matters on every
occasion, nor that we suppose our Lord would have done so. Quite probably He
saw something in the way of honesty of character in the woman He addressed,
else he would not have conversed with her. So we should be on the lookout for
every opportunity to speak a word in season, to be helpful to others, to honor
the Lord.

The woman understood the expression “living
water” to mean fresh water, as distinguished from stagnant water. The woman
perceived that our Lord was not provided with the necessary lowering bucket and
camel’s hair cord, and said, If you had ever so much desire to give me to drink,
it would be useless for me to ask you, since you have nothing to draw with, and
the well is deep, and there is nowhere else that you can hope to procure better
than this. Where would you get it? “Art thou greater than our father Jacob,
which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children and his
cattle?” (John 4:12) Again our Lord tactfully ignored the question in the
woman’s interest ─ not to deceive her or take advantage of her, but for her
benefit. He was instructing her, and leading her mind up from the natural water
to the spiritual and from the natural foundation to the spiritual. He said,
“Whomsoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst,”
for that water “shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting
life.” (v. 14)

That our Lord talked to no ordinary woman is evidenced by the quickness
with which she grasped His presentation, and her earnestness to get the living
water He had described. She said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not,
neither come hither to draw.” (v. 15) Again we note our Lord’s tactfulness. He
turned the subject. It was necessary that the woman should appreciate the fact
that she was a sinner and under the death sentence and needed water of eternal
life, which God alone could give, and which He has provided only in Jesus, the
Fountain. Our Lord turned her thought inward very quickly by saying, “Go, call
thy husband.” (v. 16) The answer was, “I have no husband” (v. 17), and with
that reply came a flood of thought, which our Lord riveted upon her by
declaring, You have said well that you have no husband, for you have had five
husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. The woman was now
thoroughly aroused. She perceived that she was in the presence of one who knew
her very deepest heart secrets. Yet she feared Him not. She fled not from Him.
His kindness, His gentleness, His willingness to talk to a Samaritan woman,
indicated that she had “found a friend, oh, such a friend.” Her answer was,
“Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.”

Shrewdly then the woman led the conversation
away from matters too personal to herself, and too solemn and too tender for
discussion, and our Lord did not follow up the subject, but left it. Many of
His followers need to learn this lesson of first awakening in the hearts of
their hearers a consciousness of sin, and then leaving it to work for them, at
greater leisure, sorrow and repentance and reformation. It is not for us to
break the hearts of those around us, but to find those who are broken-hearted.
The command is, “Bind up the broken-hearted.” (Isa. 61:1) In many instances, as
in this one, the broken heart needs to be touched in connection with the
binding-up process, in the application of the healing balm of grace and truth,
but the touches should be gentle. If more breaking of the heart is necessary,
it is not for us to do.

SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS

Not only would the woman escape a discussion
of her personal character and affairs, but she would embrace this opportunity
of settling in her own mind, with the aid of this one whom she had proven to be
a great prophet, a question which had long troubled her ─ were the Jews or were
the Samaritans right as respected religion and worship? Before her was a proven
prophet, and one in whose words she could have great confidence; hence her
inquiry, Who are right ─ our fathers, who claim that this mountain is the place
of worship or you Jews, who say that Jerusalem
is the only place? Our Lord was not bent upon making of her a Jewish proselyte:
the time for that was past; the harvest time had come. He would tell her
something that would be to her advantage, and through her to the advantage of
others in the near future, when the middle wall of partition would be broken
down which still separated the Jews, in God’s favor, from all others. His
answer, therefore, applied to the Gospel dispensation in general, and this was
already beginning so far as some of the Jews were concerned, and would later
reach the Samaritans and all Gentiles. He said, “Woman, believe me, the hour
cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father.” (v. 21)

That hour began after the Jewish house had
been left desolate, after the new dispensation had been inaugurated, and it
still continues. Believers do not have to go to a certain place, a certain
mountain, a certain city, a certain house, but may approach the living God,
through the great Redeemer, at any place and find Him. That coming hour had
already begun, since our Lord himself was the first of the Spirit-begotten
ones; and His disciples, accepted of the Father through Him, were taught to
pray, to seek, to knock, to find. Those who worship under this Spirit
dispensation will not be accepted along the lines of former worship and places ─
not in families, or nationally. Their acceptance will be as individuals, and
because they come unto the Father through His appointed way, the Redeemer, and
come “in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (v.
23) During past times he did indeed prescribe forms of worship and times and
places, but now all that come unto the father “in spirit and in truth” through
Christ are accepted.

While it is most absolutely true that forms and ceremonies are not
commanded, but the true worship of the heart, nevertheless we feel that some
still maintain too much of a relationship to forms and ceremonies, and thus
lose much of the spiritual blessing of prayer and communion. But, on the other
hand, we seem to see a danger into which some of the Lord’s dear people fall,
through ignoring all regularity in prayer, and sometimes through too little
formality in approaching the throne of heavenly grace, without a sufficiency of
humility and reverence for Him who has granted us so great a favor as to receive
us into His presence and to hearken to our petitions. While thankful that we
can call upon the Lord in every place and at any time, let us approach His
courts with reverence, with an awe of heart befitting to us in our humble,
lowly condition, and to Him in His great exaltation. Thus we enter into the
real spirit of prayer, which should recognize our complete dependence and the
greatness of the Almighty.

"WE
KNOW WHAT WE WORSHIP"

Very pointedly, though we are sure in no rude
manner, our Lord declared the truth to the woman when He said, “Ye worship ye
know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.” (v. 22)
The Samaritans, not being of the stock of Israel, were in no sense of the
word heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant. Not discerning this cardinal truth in its
true light, they were confused as to every feature of the Divine Plan. The
Jews, on the contrary, understood that they were the natural seed of Abraham,
and that from them must come the great Messiah, and that eventually, through
Him and some of their nation associated with Him; all the families of the earth
should receive a blessing. Our Lord said, “Salvation is of the Jews.” He did
not say, For the Jews, nor, To the Jews, exclusively. It was of them in
the sense that the Master was of that nation according to the flesh. It was of
them in the sense that the promises were exclusively to that nation, so
that Messiah could not have been born of any other nation and yet inherit those
promises. It was of that nation also, in that from them our Lord
selected the earliest members of His Church, His Body, through whom the
invitation to membership in the Body has during this age been extended to every
nation, people, kindred and tongue.

WHEN MESSIAH COMETH

The mind of the Samaritan woman swept forward
in thought. She recalled the expectation of her own people and of the Jews that
God would provide a great Messiah, an Anointed One, who would be all-wise and
all-powerful to the relief of all perplexity and to lift out of all difficulty.
She wondered whether the Messiah could be more wonderfully wise than the
prophet, the teacher, to whom she talked. She did not like to ask the question
direct, but suggested it sidewise, saying, “I know that Messiah cometh, which
is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” (v. 25) Seeing
her readiness of mind, our Lord expressed to her ─ more plainly, perhaps than
to any other person during His ministry ─ the great fact that He was the
Messiah: “I that speak unto thee am he.” (v, 26)

The disciples, returning at this time,
marveled that He talked with the woman, but had too great respect for Him to
question Him; and many since, all through the Gospel Age, reading the account,
have marveled at the Master’s humility thus displayed. It has brought a good
lesson to many of the Lord’s followers ─ that they are not to despise
opportunities for service, for preaching of the truth, even though they have an
audience of but one. And indeed the opportunity of speaking to one earnest
listener should be esteemed far greater than that of addressing a thousand
inattentive ones. Doubtless our Lord saw in this woman something that indicated
her worthiness of the time and energy thus bestowed upon her.

But from another standpoint, what worthiness could she have? What
worthiness do any of us possess by nature? Fallen and im­perfect, the only
thing remaining that could in any way be pleasing to the Lord would seem to be
our honesty of heart. Honesty this woman evidently had, and hence we believe
she was favored, and many of the Lord’s dear people have received this message
since. Here, too, we have another illustration of the importance of using every
opportunity that may come to us.

Time and energy spent in the assistance of some worthy one may, as in
this case, flow out in widening influence to many. Eternity alone will show the
value of some of the little things, the feeble efforts put forth in the name of
the Lord; and this reminds us that our Lord is judging us by our faithfulness
in little things and small opportunities rather than by our great achievements.
His own words are, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also
in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” (Luke
16:10) Remembering this, let us be careful in the little things, little
opportunities, the hours and the moments, that we may show ourselves zealous
for the Lord and His cause, and have His eventual approval, as well as His
present blessing.

THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT

The character of this woman is further displayed in the fact that,
leaving her water-bucket, she hastened to the city to tell her friends and
neighbors that she had found a great teacher, possibly the Messiah, and to ask
them to come and share the privilege of hearing Him. The selfish spirit, which
would have bidden her to keep the information to herself, or the slothful,
careless spirit, which would have led her to say, I would be pleased if my
friends might know, but will not bestir myself to inform them ─ either of these
would have marked the woman as unworthy of the Lord’s favor; and had such been
her occasions we doubt if the Lord would have entered into conversation with
her. And so it is with those who have been reached with present truth; they
are, as a rule, not only the honest and sincere, but the generous, who love to
give the good things to their neighbors, and who, having heard now of the
second presence of the Son of man, and the Kingdom about to be established, and
having come to a clearer knowledge than ever before of the truth of the Divine
Plan ─ these rejoice to lay down their lives in its service ─ the promulgating
of “good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people.” (Luke 2:10)
This is the true missionary spirit, and home missions come first.

“COME UNTO ME AND DRINK”

Our Golden Text is quite in line with the
lesson-intimated ─ that before anyone can come to the Lord he must thirst, he
must have an appreciation of that which the Lord has to give ─ the water, the
refreshment, of eternal life. This means that he must learn that he is a sinner,
and under sentence of death, and there is no hope for a future life except
through Christ. The coming to the Lord is the approach of faith. Our thirst is
our desire. We drink, or appropriate to ourselves the Divine message. “Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17:17) ─ and water is the
symbol of truth. This is in full accordance with the promise of a blessing to
those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” And the promise is, “They
shall be filled.” This, too, is in harmony with our Lord’s statement in our
lesson, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst.” (v. 14)

In the present time our thirst is in one sense of the word insatiable ─
we are never satisfied ─ in the sense that the Lord’s blessings are so great
and so good that we can never in the present day and the present conditions
have enough of them. We shall be satisfied thoroughly when we awake in the
Kingdom. Nevertheless, there is a measure of satisfaction to our drinking, even
in the present time ─ just as with a thirsty one at a fountain, he drinks with
relish, with appreciation, with satisfaction, only to take more and more. So
with those who are the Lord’s. He pours into their cup blessings rich and
satisfying, and fills the cup repeatedly. Let us appreciate more and more the
truth, the water of life, and let us see to it that we get it pure from the
fountain, and that we recognize no other fountain than the Lord Jesus, however
much we may appreciate the channels through which the supply may have come to
us.

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 4130-4132, February 1, 1908)

____________________________________________________________________

GOD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of
love.” (Hosea 11:4)

Hosea prophesied in Israel
─ the ten-tribe kingdom ─ prior to the Babylonian Captivity, dying about the
time that Samaria
capitulated. The name Hosea signifies salvation and corresponds well with the
prophecy. The Lord through Hosea made plain to Israel that their national
destruction and captivity was at hand; that it was a punishment for sin; but
that it also told the people of God’s sympathy for them, of His many loving
forbearances, etc., and assured them that He would continue to love them to the
end, and eventually bless them and recover them from the land of the enemy.

Hosea’s own experiences in life in some degree
pictured the Lord’s experiences with Israel. Hosea’s wife was unfaithful
to him, as Israel
had been unfaithful to the Lord. Following the Lord’s direction, Hosea took
back his wife, reclaiming her; and his message to Israel was of God’s continued
love for that people ─ that although they had been unfaithful to the Lord, He
would nevertheless loyally receive them again when they should have learned
their lesson and be glad to come back as a bird from Egypt and a trembling dove
from Babylonia.

“THE LORD LOVED THEE”

Love is the keynote of the Bible, notwithstanding the fact that it
contains threatenings as well as promises, and declarations and manifestations
of Justice as well as of mercy. If God’s character were devoid of Justice ─ if
His love should override His Justice ─ it would be a terrible calamity for all
those dependent upon Him. It would testify weakness of character instead of
strength. It is the fact that God’s wisdom, justice, love and power operate in
full harmony ─ in coordination ─ that gives us admiration for Him, confidence
in Him, love for Him; and all these appreciations are intensified as we realize
His unchangeableness.

From the beginning God foreknew His plan as we see it gradually ripening.
He foreknew that man, allowed to take his course, would fall deeply into sin
and be overwhelmed in its penalty, death. He foreknew His own purpose to
provide in due time the Lamb of God as a ransom-sacrifice for the sins of the
whole world. He foreknew the ultimate blessing of all the families of the
earth, purposing that the glorified Redeemer should be the deliverer of
mankind. He foreknew and arranged a thousand years of restitution work, when
under Messiah’s glorious Kingdom all mankind should be brought to a full
knowledge of God and a full opportunity for returning to all that was lost in
Eden, all that was redeemed at Calvary; and when the ultimately rebellious
should be destroyed. He foresaw from the beginning the glorious result when
every knee would be bowing and every tongue confessing the glorious work of
Messiah’s Kingdom. This entire program was to be of the Father and through the
Son (1 Cor. 8:6).

It was incidental to this great plan that God foresaw the wisdom of
having a saintly company associated with Jesus in the great work of His
Millennial Kingdom, which is to govern and bless thousands of millions. God
determined to have two saintly companies. One class was to be of the earth,
earthy, samples of what mankind might all eventually attain to through the
assistance of the Kingdom. The other class of saints, still more highly
exalted, was to be the Bride of Messiah and His Joint-heir in the Kingdom on
the spirit plane. God could have filled these honorable positions with angels,
who would have been glad of the opportunity of thus serving. However, instead,
He chose to gather these companies from amongst men ─ from amongst the sinners
themselves.

CALLING
ABRAHAM’S POSTERITY

Many ways were open before the Lord for the gathering of the elect for
the future service. The one, which He chose and has been carrying out, was
undoubtedly the wisest, the best. First of all, God called Abraham ─ a sinner
like others, but one whose heart was full of trust in God and who delighted in
the right ways of the Lord to the extent of his ability. God’s promise to
Abraham was that his seed should constitute the elect, and that through that
seed all nations would receive a Divine blessing.

The period of nearly four thousand years since God’s covenant with
Abraham has been devoted to the development of Abraham’s seed ─ a natural seed
and a spiritual seed. The two were mentioned to Abraham indirectly when the
Lord said, “Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the
seashore.” (Genesis 22:17) The stars of heaven thus are used to represent the
spiritual seed of Abraham; the sand of the seashore, the natural seed. For more
than eighteen centuries God dealt with the natural seed of Abraham. His
promises to them and the Law Covenant made with them were great blessings,
inspirations, assistances. For although the Israelites, like others, were
unable to keep the Law Covenant, being imperfect, sinners, nevertheless the
endeavor to obey was helpful. The various chastisements of Israel, including
their Babylonian captivity, were lessons intended for their good, and
eventually made that nation, at the time when Jesus came to be the Redeemer,
the most holy people in all the world ─ the only people recognized of God.

“HE CAME UNTO HIS OWN”

Nevertheless, much of the holiness of Israel in Jesus’ day was merely a
form of godliness, which did not stand the test. Only Israelites indeed ─ pure
in heart, in motive ─ were enabled to appreciate the Gift of God and to become
Jesus’ disciples ─ probably 25,000 in all. Then the door of opportunity to
become fellow-heirs with the Jewish saints was thrown open to the Gentiles; and
God’s Message was given them, inviting them also to Joint-heirship with Christ.
The gathering of this class has proceeded for eighteen centuries, while the
nation of Israel
has been rejected from God’s favor. Now we are entering the great Time of
Trouble, which is to inaugurate Messiah’s Kingdom. During this trouble the
Church is to be glorified in the First Resurrection. Then the thousand years of
Messiah’s reign with the elect, spiritual bride, drawn from both Jews and
Gentiles, will begin.

Still God’s favor will pursue the natural seed of Abraham. Their lessons
and chas­tisements will fit and prepare them more quickly than others of the
world to receive the Messianic blessing. The earthly phase of Messiah’s Kingdom
will be Israelitish, in that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets and
saintly ones down to John the Baptist are to be made “princes in all the earth”
(Psa. 45:16) ─ the earthly representatives in human perfection of the spiritual
Kingdom of Messiah.

Naturally enough, Israel will then in a natural way
come first into harmony with the Divine arrangement and be the first to get the
blessing. However, during the thousand years of the Kingdom, as the Scriptures
declare, all nations shall bless themselves in becoming Abraham’s seed ─ in
coming into relationship with the Kingdom, which will have an Israelitish basis
(Jer. 4:2; Isa. 65:16; Gen. 12:3). Eventually, all will be destroyed who do not
thus become true Israelites. Thus Abraham’s seed will eventually include all
the families of the earth ─ all for whom God has provided life eternal. As for
Gentiles ─ strangers from God ─ none will remain. (Pastor Russell Reprints
5809, 5810, December 1, 1915)

____________________________________________________________________

LHMM ─ The
Bible Standard of January-February 2010 has an article, Messiah ─ God’s Servant in which they continue to teach their
non-existent class Consecrated Epiphany Campers. On page 11 they say: “Finally,
God’s Servant will divide the spoil with the symbolic ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ in
the soon-coming times of restitution in the Messianic age (Joel 2:28; Isa.
60:4), namely, the quasi-elect
(consisting in general of consecrated
and unconsecrated believing Jews and Gentiles) and the non-elect (the
non-believers, the bulk of mankind).”

Question: – Did either of the last two
Principal Men, Pastor Russell or Brother Johnson ever teach such a class in the
end of this Age?

Answer:
– No, neither of them even hinted that we should look for such persons
in the Household of Faith, although Brother Johnson clearly taught that the
Epiphany Camp in the finished picture would contain the
"formerly faith­justified ones who hold to the Ransom and practice
righteousness, and Converted Israel." However, of these he clearly states
in E:10‑209 that they would be the "not" consecrated
Jews and Gentiles.

Question: – Is such a class designated in
any direct Scripture, or indicated in any type or prophecy?

Answer:
– No, there is nothing anywhere in the Bible that even hints at such a
class. And be it remembered that a type that might seem to allow such
interpretation would in itself be insufficient, because it is clearly stated on
p. 25 of the Berean Topical Index under Types and Figures that "A type
must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that
is already taught in plain terms."

Question: – If there is no direct
Scripture, type or prophecy to prove Campers Consecrated, how did the idea
originate?

Answer:
– It is a pure invention of R. G. Jolly and J. W. Krewson.

(The above Questions and Answers
were written by Brother John J. Hoefle, Reprint 81, April 1962)